This article is more than 1 year old

Sony wins Nuplayer PSP sales ban

Importer responds with discount PSP offer

UK-based PlayStation Portable grey importer Nuplayer has been ordered by the English High Court to stop selling the handheld console.

Despite initial optimism, Nuplayer this week admitted the case, brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), had not gone its way.

After delaying his verdict in order to take more time to ponder the issues raised by the case, Mr Justice Lawrence Collins last week granted SCEE's request for an injunction against Nuplayer.

However, Nuplayer boss Kamal Sharma said he would offer PSPs sourced from European channels, according to a GamesIndustry.biz report.

"We were very disappointed by the judgement, but we were prepared for it," he told the site. "We are now... taking pre-orders for European PSPs with plans to ship on 1 September.

"Sony has no right to stop us selling PSPs obtained from sources in Europe. The same law Sony used to stop us selling PSPs is the same law we're using to legally sell European products."

Nuplayer is only charging £170 for the console - £10 below the standard price. The company said it also plans to offer import Xbox 360s and PlayStation 3s.

SCEE's case against Nuplayer and other 'grey' importers centred on claims the resellers had violated the company's trademarks. Precedent maintains that the process of selling a branded-product involves the use of the trademarked brand, and that gives the trademark holder some control over the sales process. SCEE said the importers did not have its permission to use the PSP trademark.

The company won a similar injunction against importer ElectricBirdLand last month. ®

Related stories

UK PSP importer dodges sales ban... for now
HP, Expansys waiting on the judge
Sony may go after PSP sellers
Sony stops PSP sales in UK
Sony UK denies grey PSP confiscation claims
Sony tries to choke off UK PSP imports
PSP disc protection cracked
Sony to ship PSP on 1 September - official

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like